Episode #380: Five Reminders in Prep for Your Fall Race

Interactive Transcript

spk_0 Hey everybody, welcome to episode 280 of the Running Rogue podcast.

spk_0 This is your host, Chris McClung, back to you with another episode this week.

spk_0 Again, excited to be back after a summer hiatus.

spk_0 Thanks to several of you sent nice messages about my episode last week.

spk_0 It's good to know that people are listening and care and appreciate the poem that I shared.

spk_0 So thanks for those messages.

spk_0 Always appreciated.

spk_0 Also, remind you before we jump into today's topic that you can always email me, Chris

spk_0 at RogueRunning.com.

spk_0 If you have feedback questions, things you would like to see on the podcast, any of those

spk_0 things, or just nice words, you know, any of those things are happy via my email box.

spk_0 If you're interested in taking the time to send me a note, if not, that's okay too.

spk_0 Today, I've got a quick hit episode.

spk_0 I'm going to give you five things to think about for fall racing.

spk_0 Many of you are right around the corner from races.

spk_0 We've got Berlin in a couple of weeks, Twin Cities, and four weeks, Chicago, and five

spk_0 Columbus, where we have a bunch of athletes going in six weeks plus a bunch of fall halves

spk_0 that are kicking in or late summer halves that are kicking in soon.

spk_0 And so a lot of you are reaching the tail end of your training programs about to start

spk_0 your taper.

spk_0 So I've got five quick hit thoughts for you as you wrap your racing season so that you're

spk_0 absolutely ready to crush it on race day.

spk_0 Before we get there, quickly just want to remind you that we just kicked off our training

spk_0 for winter races.

spk_0 So races from January to March, which around here would be Houston, Austin International

spk_0 Half, Austin, Marathon in February, Mesa, Marathon in Phoenix, Cowtown in early March, Tokyo,

spk_0 all of those fall in that window, but there are others in that window.

spk_0 So if you want to do a race in January to March, now is the time to jump in with us.

spk_0 You can train in person with us in Dallas or Austin or you can train virtually with us

spk_0 wherever you are in this world.

spk_0 I think we've got athletes on four continents at the moment, which is pretty awesome.

spk_0 So you can tap into us from absolutely anywhere to one of our virtual programs.

spk_0 We've got three different levels depending on your volume.

spk_0 So there's really something for everybody.

spk_0 Or if you'd rather train with us one on one, we've got those options too.

spk_0 You can always find out more info at our website, roadgrunning.com or just email coachingatroadgrunning.com.

spk_0 If you're not sure and just want to send over kind of what you're doing, what you're looking

spk_0 for and we can put you in the right direction.

spk_0 So that's a quick plug on our training, kicking off for winter, basically now.

spk_0 So if you want to jump in, you still can't.

spk_0 All right, let's talk about fall races again.

spk_0 We've got a bunch of right around the corner.

spk_0 It's time to lock in as the kids say these days and make sure that you're fully ready physically

spk_0 and mentally for race day here right around the corner and two to six state weeks if we're

spk_0 looking all the way to New York.

spk_0 So a lot of big races happening very soon and now is the time to dial in.

spk_0 I've got five thoughts for you to think about and we're going to run through them.

spk_0 This should be a quick, quick hit episode trying to hit the highlights for what you should

spk_0 be thinking about both physically and mentally in these final weeks.

spk_0 The first point I want to make, which I think is the most important point, perhaps, of this

spk_0 conversation is that getting to the start line healthy is the most important thing between

spk_0 now and your race day.

spk_0 Getting to the start line healthy is the most important thing between now and your race

spk_0 day.

spk_0 And because you're in the throes of your training, you're doing your biggest mileage,

spk_0 you're doing your biggest workouts.

spk_0 That may be challenging.

spk_0 You may also find little niggles or issues pop up in this window of time because oftentimes

spk_0 they do when we're in our heaviest training.

spk_0 So it could be possible that one of those things is happening to you.

spk_0 But I want you to remember that getting to start line is healthy is the most important

spk_0 thing.

spk_0 If you've been training since May or June, like many have, if you're racing soon, then

spk_0 the body of work is what matters, not just these final few weeks.

spk_0 And yes, they're important to put the cherry on top, the icing on the cake of your training

spk_0 cycle.

spk_0 But to be honest, the vast majority of the work is already done.

spk_0 The vast majority of the hay is already in the barn.

spk_0 We're just in a space where we're trying to get that extra little bit of sharpening,

spk_0 build that confidence, make sure we're ready fully for that taper before we pull back

spk_0 and get you ready for race day.

spk_0 So in many ways, your potential for race day has already been determined.

spk_0 And so that final big workout, that final big long run, while sure it's important and

spk_0 while if you're healthy, we love for you to do it.

spk_0 We want to be very, very careful in this window, not to overdo it to make sure that we're

spk_0 prioritizing staying healthy.

spk_0 So we're not making decisions that are going to compromise our health or we're not pushing

spk_0 ourselves over the edge, which I'll talk about more in a second.

spk_0 Or if we are injured or have a little niggle pop up that we're focused on managing that

spk_0 and getting healthy in lieu of forcing workouts or long runs that would be under a compromised

spk_0 musculoskeletal system.

spk_0 So I'd rather you pause on long runs, pause on workouts, then force them if your body

spk_0 is telling you no.

spk_0 Doesn't mean you don't run.

spk_0 Doesn't mean you don't try to do something.

spk_0 Maybe cross-training if running isn't in the cards at the moment.

spk_0 But what I want you to be doing is urgently, if you do have an issue, check in with a

spk_0 PT, a Cairo, a doctor that focuses on runners, figure out what the issue is.

spk_0 Get on a quick rehab program because the time perhaps might be short.

spk_0 But put the running part of the equation on the side burner until you can be fully healthy.

spk_0 And then when you're fully healthy again, jump back in, assuming it hasn't been that long.

spk_0 Because again, being healthy on the start line is more important than any of these final

spk_0 big long runs and workouts.

spk_0 So pray where it's high as that above all else.

spk_0 And if you do have a little issue, pop up, focus on getting healthy first or if you get

spk_0 sick, focus on getting healthy first and then resume your training.

spk_0 Because you don't want to be digging a hole for yourself or extending the injury or extending

spk_0 the sickness that's going to further compromise your ability to race when it counts.

spk_0 So health above all else at this stage in the game.

spk_0 And I think sometimes we forget that because we become so focused on doing that last little

spk_0 bit of work.

spk_0 And we put all of this emphasis on these final big workouts.

spk_0 And sure, they're important.

spk_0 They're on the schedule for a reason.

spk_0 But are they more important than the other 20 miles you have done?

spk_0 Probably not in the grand scheme of things.

spk_0 If we look at the full body of work, so don't put too much emphasis on them, especially

spk_0 if you're compromised or you might be compromised if you push it too hard.

spk_0 So that's quick reminder number one as we go into these final stages as you prepare

spk_0 for your fall races.

spk_0 Health is top priority.

spk_0 Two, be precise, but don't go over the edge.

spk_0 Be precise, but don't go over the edge.

spk_0 In the race specific mode of training, which you're in, if that's when you're racing,

spk_0 this is when we want to be more precise.

spk_0 We want to get close to that edge.

spk_0 We want to have our paces dialed in.

spk_0 We want to be trying to hit them as closely as possible without overdoing it in those

spk_0 workouts.

spk_0 We want to be dialed in and precise because as you get close to race, especially as you

spk_0 progress through the race specific phase, precision becomes important.

spk_0 So that you can dial into those specific paces when it counts on race day.

spk_0 So you want to be precise, but you don't want to go over the edge.

spk_0 What is going over the edge look like?

spk_0 Going over the edge looks like because you have the fitness to wield, which is a very

spk_0 sharp sword at this phase in your training, you might be tempted to get greedy on workouts

spk_0 to go too fast on workouts because you can.

spk_0 And you want to absolutely avoid that.

spk_0 This is not a time to press the edges.

spk_0 It's a time to be precise to hit the target paces as prescribed, but not more.

spk_0 Often in this phase of training for marathoners, one taper workout that I really like is somewhere

spk_0 between six to 10 times 800 meters at 10k pace with 90 seconds to two minutes rest in between each.

spk_0 Very straightforward workout, simple 800 meter reps, 10k pace as the target, straightforward

spk_0 rest in between each. That is a workout where if you're in the final stages of half marathon

spk_0 or marathon training, it shouldn't be that hard to do that because 10k pace should feel manageable

spk_0 for 800 meters. And in that workout, there will be certainly a possibility if you have,

spk_0 if you want to, to go faster than 10k pace, there will be people tempted to because they're fit

spk_0 and they can. So yes, you could do that workout faster if you're in the right half marathon or

spk_0 marathon fitness, but that isn't the point. The point isn't to push it and go faster and push

spk_0 yourself over the edge because you could probably do it. You probably get that workout done at 5k

spk_0 pace and then maybe even finish faster in the final to 800. So you probably could do it because you're

spk_0 going to have the fitness at this point in your build and this point of your sharpness to do it,

spk_0 but you're going to choose not to instead you're going to choose to be precise around 10k pace and

spk_0 then try to make that 10k pace feel as easy and comfortable as possible or whatever pace you're

spk_0 prescribed and whatever workout you might be following. You're going to try to hit that pace,

spk_0 be precise with it and make it feel as comfortable as you can because that's going to unlock

spk_0 relaxation at pace that is then going to make race pace half marathon or marathon feel even easier.

spk_0 That's the point of that workout. It's not to put you over the edge or to see how fast you can

spk_0 run in the intermediate reps while fit. It's to touch on speed, do it in a relaxing controlled way

spk_0 so that then half marathon or marathon pace feels more comfortable when it comes to doing that

spk_0 race day. That's the point. And yet there will be a temptation by so many people in this phase of work

spk_0 to overdo it to press the edges because they have the sharp sort of fitness after a lot of great work

spk_0 over the summer that they can wield and I would encourage you, I would urge you to not wield that

spk_0 sword to save all of that extra juice for race day because you can put yourself over the edge.

spk_0 What matters? There's a famous literature quote or story I should say where he was at the Olympics

spk_0 and he had his athletes doing a workout on the Olympic track that looked a certain way.

spk_0 And then the next day, the other competitors were watching this play out and the next day,

spk_0 those competitors came out and did the exact same workout that Lidier's athletes had done.

spk_0 And Lidier looked on with a smile and said something to the effect of

spk_0 you just gave the race to my athletes because what he had planned for his athletes was appropriate

spk_0 for where they were in their journey to the Olympics. And that workout likely put

spk_0 somebody else, especially done the wrong way over the edge, which then gave the edge to Lidier's

spk_0 athletes. And so there's this temptation when we get close to race day to make our workouts, our big

spk_0 workouts race day moments. And yes, they're important. You should use them as dress rehearsals. You should

spk_0 be serious about it. You should put your game pace on. You should be precise as it relates to your

spk_0 paces. But you shouldn't overdo it. As I said in my poem last week, there's a time for speed, but only

spk_0 when you need. And this is exactly when to remember that line because there's a time for workouts in

spk_0 certain paces. And this is the time to be precise around it holding back as much as you are pressing the

spk_0 edge. So be precise. Don't go over the edge. Now is not the time to burn all the hay and the barn that

spk_0 you've been collecting. Number three, no one workout matters. I've alluded to this already. No one

spk_0 workout matters. We put all of this emphasis on the last big long run quality workout or the last

spk_0 big long run or that capstone workout that you coach has for you three weeks out from a marathon

spk_0 or two weeks out from a half marathon. We look at those things and they're big and hard and they're

spk_0 things that we maybe circle on the calendar several months out because you know it's going to be tough,

spk_0 you know it's coming. And you take it seriously as you should. But you put all of this emphasis on

spk_0 it. And then when something goes wrong, suddenly our instinct is to say, well, I'm not as fit as I

spk_0 thought. Race day isn't going to go well. And you let those final big workouts go on a ride,

spk_0 completely mess with your confidence. And you let those single data points override the scatter plot

spk_0 of data points you've been collecting all season. And by the way, that you also collected in prior

spk_0 seasons that are pointing in a certain direction if you're looking at that overall trend line.

spk_0 But instead we look at the one outlier workout here on the on the scatter plot and we think, oh man,

spk_0 that didn't go well. Then that's it. I'm not going to be able to get the goal that I want or as I

spk_0 alluded earlier, maybe we have a little niggle and we decide not to do this final workout because if

spk_0 we do, that's going to push that little niggle to a full blown injury. And then we think, well,

spk_0 I missed this one workout. So therefore my race is all lost. And that's just not how it works.

spk_0 No one workout matters within a cycle across cycles in the grand scheme. It's the accumulation of

spk_0 all the work from the very beginning. That matters. And by the way, you're carrying every time you move

spk_0 from cycle to cycle, you're carrying fitness and skills with you all the way to this race day that

spk_0 you've been building for perhaps years for those that have been doing this for a long time,

spk_0 or at least for several cycles for those that are newer to it. So remember that no one workout matters.

spk_0 And again, I'm not telling you that you shouldn't do the workouts that you shouldn't follow the

spk_0 plan to completion. But I'm just telling you that if they go awry, it's going to be fine. In fact,

spk_0 as a coach, I like it when workouts don't go perfectly because that means that you had to stay

spk_0 in it mentally and focus and maybe fight through some demons in a workout that are going to carry to

spk_0 mental strength and toughness on race day. So I kind of like it personally as a coach when it doesn't

spk_0 go well because then you develop some mental fortitude. I worry more for athletes that have all

spk_0 perfect workouts. To me, that says there's something wrong. And as I often like to say, there's no

spk_0 such thing as a perfect training cycle. There's always something that goes wrong. A bad workout,

spk_0 a little injury that pops up, you have to work through, something goes wrong. I run you miss because

spk_0 you were sick. All of these things are normal things that throw you off that aren't going to

spk_0 derail your race day if you manage it appropriately. So keep this all in context. No one workout

spk_0 matters. It's the body of work that matters across the full cycle from the beginning to the end

spk_0 and across multiple training cycles as you've been building to this goal. And so if you have one bad

spk_0 day, ignore it. It's an outlier. Move on. Take the lessons you can, the mental fortitude and

spk_0 strength that you may have developed. But don't let the data throw you off or think that because of

spk_0 you had one bad day, that it means you're going to have a bad race. But rather, focus on all the other

spk_0 data points that point to, hey, I've been doing this. I've done the work. I've been building the

spk_0 mileage. I've gotten in the big long runs. I've done a bunch of workouts that have gone well. I've

spk_0 had some preparations that have gone well. All of those things we like to ignore when we have the

spk_0 one bad day. But I'm telling you to do the opposite. When you have the one bad day, sure be mad about

spk_0 it. Be frustrated. Feel the feels as I like to say. But then set it aside and focus on the things

spk_0 that have gone well and that point to the fact that you're absolutely going to be ready on race day.

spk_0 So keep the context in your head. No one workout matters. It's the body of work. And when you have

spk_0 those bad days, it's okay. Feel the feels, but shake it off. Move on to the next. You're going to be

spk_0 okay. I've had plenty of bad days that still led up to PR races in my day. So that's number three.

spk_0 Number four, at this stage in the game, as it relates to the physical stuff,

spk_0 the most important thing, perhaps beyond staying healthy is don't do anything new. Don't do

spk_0 anything new at this stage in the game. Other than your training and number five, which I'll talk

spk_0 about in a second mental prep, I want you to be subtracting things from your life as you enter

spk_0 the taper. Focus on the task at hand. We sometimes want to take the extra energy we might have

spk_0 from not running as many miles as we get into the taper and we get anxious and we want to funnel

spk_0 that into something that distracts us like that lense keeping project that we've been putting off.

spk_0 Oh, maybe I should start yoga. Maybe I should change my diet. Maybe I should start running with

spk_0 a new group and see what that's like. No, I want you to be as boring as possible in these final

spk_0 two to six to eight weeks before your race day. Absolutely nothing new. Follow your plan as it relates

spk_0 to the running. Don't do anything else other than focus on recovering and being ready for race day.

spk_0 The rest can wait till after the big day. No new strength programs, no new yoga classes,

spk_0 no new landscaping projects, no new painting projects around the house, no new craft projects in the

spk_0 backyard. Nothing new. Focus all of that extra energy on extra time to sleep, to fuel,

spk_0 to get in the easy movement associated with recovery and that's it. One crazy thing to me is that

spk_0 I'll say this to people and of course naturally they're going to nod their head and be like, yeah,

spk_0 of course, why would I do anything new on race day or before race day? They'll nod knowingly.

spk_0 And then I've had a lot of veterans still get sucked into the trap of breaking this rule

spk_0 because they succumb to the anxiety and the nerves that's that they're wanting to cover up by

spk_0 doing something that takes their mind off of it. And so they they do something new or they've

spk_0 they've started succumb to this idea that I did everything I wanted to do but I didn't I wasn't

spk_0 able to do this thing or that thing. And so now I'm going to do this crash course in it to make sure

spk_0 that I'm ready to go. You know, now's the time to throw in some strength because I didn't do the

spk_0 strength program I had planned to do. So now I'm going to throw it in and see if that tops off the

spk_0 tank so to speak, but that's not how it works. If you haven't done it to this point, it's too late.

spk_0 It's not going to help you. It's only going to hurt you. So don't add it now. If you add it now,

spk_0 you're risking your potential on race day. So this is not a time to add. This is a time to subtract

spk_0 and focus on in on precisely what you've already been doing. Execute it day by day. And you're going

spk_0 to be fine. You're going to be okay. And then the new things you want to add to the program,

spk_0 you can consider for the next cycle, but save those for after race day. That's number four.

spk_0 Don't do anything new. Number five, mental prep. We spend a lot of time in these final weeks

spk_0 focusing on the physical things, the workouts, the final long runs, all of the easy days and the

spk_0 routine and making sure we're checking the final boxes on the training program itself. We spend a

spk_0 lot of time there. But I find that we don't often spend a lot of time on the mental side and

spk_0 tell it's too late until it's race week or a few days out from the race or maybe until you're

spk_0 driving or ubering to the race itself, they think, oh, maybe I should think of some mantras.

spk_0 That's not what I want you to be doing. I want you to be using these final weeks to prepare the

spk_0 mind, to prepare the mental toolkit if you haven't already been doing it. So that you're absolutely

spk_0 ready to go. For that, I will refer you to episode 350 getting your mind right for race day,

spk_0 which is one that I shared recently, but also give you some reminders now. What does it look like

spk_0 to prepare your mind from race day when you're two or four or six weeks out? The first thing it

spk_0 looks like is remembering your purpose, thinking back to why you signed up for this race in the first

spk_0 place and why you wanted the goal that you might be tackling, reconnect to that origin so that you

spk_0 can easily reconnect to that when the going gets tough on race day. So think about your purpose.

spk_0 Get into the practical details about planning around your goal. If you have a goal and you've

spk_0 got all this data collected, hone in on that goal based on the data collected from your workouts,

spk_0 and then start to translate that into a plan that is measured. Start smart, finish strong. That's

spk_0 going to allow you to go after that goal on race day, translate that into something you actually

spk_0 write down and put on paper so that you can start to internalize that and prepare mentally for

spk_0 executing on a race day. Get into the visualization process. I don't like to do this all at once. I

spk_0 think that's impractical, but in bits and pieces, start to think about the different sections of the

spk_0 race and how it's going to actually be on race day in your mind's eye. Science actually tells us that

spk_0 visualization gives us a similar neuromuscular response or sorry neurological response as actually

spk_0 doing the thing, physically doing the thing. So while you can't go do the thing that you've never

spk_0 done at a pace you've never done it at until you do it, you can do it in your mind's eye, which gives

spk_0 you a neurological stimulus so that when you're actually doing it physically, it's as if you've

spk_0 done it before. So go through the race and think through the various sections and visualize

spk_0 executing them per plan. For example, visualize the start of the race and the chaos and the energy

spk_0 and the nerves and all of that that's going to come with it that's going to tempt you to go out too

spk_0 fast and visualize working through all of that craziness and keeping the adrenaline and stope of

spk_0 meaning under control so that you can effectively start slower than you want to and work down towards

spk_0 your target pace over those opening miles. Visualize sections of the course that might be challenging

spk_0 that big hill, that crazy downhill that you turn that sharp turn, whatever it is start visualizing

spk_0 those sections and how you're going to execute them to your plan so that it doesn't derail you.

spk_0 Visualize using the mantras, which we'll talk about more in a second when the going gets tough

spk_0 rhythm mantras for those early parts of the race where you're trying to stay calm and in control

spk_0 and fight mantras for the end when it's time to to go fast and fight to the end and then of course

spk_0 visualize those final miles and what it's going to take to dig deep and get that goal and visualize

spk_0 the finish line with that goal time on your watch. Go through the whole race that way and then think

spk_0 about your mantras. What do they look like rhythm mantras fight mantras? Think about two or three in

spk_0 each category so that you can not only have them top of mind but also maybe even practice them on

spk_0 some of these final workouts, practice using them on some of these final workouts and then think

spk_0 about the other tools that you're going to bring to bear on race day. Some that I talked about

spk_0 on other episodes counting it's sort of a neutral mantra that I use particularly at the end of a race

spk_0 studying landmarks that will be cues to how you're going to close things out.

spk_0 Also thinking about going fishing and visualizing that as a tool finding those people that might be

spk_0 30 seconds ahead and chasing them down as a carrot to get to that finish line. There's a whole host

spk_0 of things that you may have heard on this podcast tried before but just think about them. Visualize

spk_0 using them. Rebuild that toolkit, put those arrows in your quiver so that you have it all prepared

spk_0 for race day so that you're not cramming or doing a cram session those final few days.

spk_0 The physical prep is coming to an end. All of those or a few of those big workouts might still be

spk_0 ahead of you. Yes, you're going to naturally focus on those because it's easy to focus on those

spk_0 but don't neglect the mental prep. You haven't already started. Start it now so that you're ready to go

spk_0 when that gun goes off. There you go. That's it. Quick hit episode today. Those are five things

spk_0 to be thinking about before your fall race as it's approaching quickly. Again, one staying healthy is

spk_0 best. Don't push it too much now or if you need to skip something to stay healthy and get ready for

spk_0 a healthy start line experience then that's more important. To precise, be precise but don't go

spk_0 over the edge. Now is not the time to be greedy. Three, no one workout matters more than the rest.

spk_0 Operate accordingly and don't let one bad workout derail you. Four, nothing new right now. Just the

spk_0 things that you know and you've already been doing to get you ready and then find a five, of course

spk_0 spend time on that mental prep because when it comes to big races, the mental is maybe as important

spk_0 as the physical when it's all said and done. So there you go. I'm excited for everybody with these

spk_0 races coming up. Do these five things to get your game face on and I would love to hear how some

spk_0 of those races go as we progress through the fall. With that, I'll wrap it here. As always, you can

spk_0 check us out at rogrunning.com or follow us on Facebook or Instagram at rogrunning. Until next time, we'll talk to you soon.

Episode #380: Five Reminders in Prep for Your Fall Race

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